Coin controlled mechanism



Dec. 10, 1940. B. s. WATLING 2,224,559

COIN CONTROLLED MECHANISM Filed March 25, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 10, 1940. B. s. WATLING 2,224,559

COIN CONTROLLED MECHANISM Filed March 25, 1938 v3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 10, 1940. B. s.' WATLING COIN CONTRQLLED MECHANISM Fil ed March 25, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 10, 1940 tries 2,224,559 CGIN CONTROLLED MECHANISM Barns S. Wailing, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Watling Scale Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application March 25, 1938, Serial No. 198,020

9 Claims.

The invention relates to coin controlled mechanisms such as are commonly employed on Weighing scales, fortune-telling or other amusement apparatus, and vending machines generally, and one object of the invention is to provide an improved and fool-proof coin controlled mechanism for releasing a detent lever or like looking member of the apparatus with which the mechanism is associated and that will be reliable and eificient in operation; and another object is to provide an improved coin controlled mechanism that cannot become jammed through the introduction of one or more subsequent coins before the first deposited coin has been disposed of.

Still other objects and attendant advantages of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in Which I have illustrated one practical and preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein- Fig. 1 is a perspective elevation of a combined weighing scale and fortune-telling machine of the general type disclosed in the Letters Patent 25 to Thomas W. B. Watling, No. 1,923,287, granted August 22, 1933, to which my present improvements are applied.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged front elevation showing the counter and a manually operable plunger for operating the device.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the counter and one of the coin throw-outs on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the upper portion 5 of the machine showing a portion of the normally locked weight actuated mechanism, in-

cluding a ratchet wheel and a lock and release lever cooperating therewith, with which lever my present improvements cooperate to effect the release upon the deposit of a proper coin.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the principal parts of my improved coin controlled device, viewed on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 5, viewed from the left of the latter figure.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Figs. 5 and 6, viewed from the side opposite that of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a fixed guiding and supporting member for most of the movable parts.

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are progressive views in vertical longitudinal section through the coin chute and the guiding and supporting member, illustrating the positions of the movable parts as a deposited coin moves from the position in which it first comes to rest to its point of discharge.

Figs. 12, 13 and 14 are vertical transverse sections taken on the lines lZ-lZ, l3-l3, and i l-I4, of Figs. 9, 10, and 11 respectively.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of the coin moving plunger.

Fig. 16 is a group perspective view of a coin actuated cam lever and a bell crank lever pivotally suspended thereon, which bell crank lever actuates the lock and release lever of the weight actuated member to permit the machine to function on the deposit of a proper coin.

Fig. 1'7 is a sectional detail on the line. ll-ll of Fig. 3, showing the locking and releasing device of the plug which normally conceals the dial of the counter.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 4, 20 designates the base, 2! the'upright casing, 2i 2. cap or cover, and 22 the platform of a combined weighing scale and amusement device of the type disclosed in the aforesaid Letters Patent to Watling. In the right-hand side of the cap 2| is mounted a vertical coin chute designated as an entirety by 23. The upper portion of this chute is preferably flared, as shown in Figs. 5 and '7, and one edge of the chute below the flared top is open, for coin throw-out purposes as illustrated in Fig. '7. One side Wall 2d of the chute is hinged at its upper end on a pivot pin 25 mounted in a pair of brackets 26 secured to the opposite edge walls of the chute so that it can be opened, as shown by dotted lines in Fig.5, to remove tooth piclis, buttons, wads of paper, and other trash by which mischievously inclined persons often attempt to beat the machine. A spring 21 normally holds the pivoted side wall 24 in closed position.

Attached to the inner side of the front wall of the cap 2| is a one-piece sheet metal guiding and supporting member designated as an entirety by 28 and shown in isolated detail in Fig. 8. On the outer end of this member are formed lateral attachment lugs 29 receiving fastening screws 30, by which the member 28 is strongly supported in horizontal position within the, cap 24. The lower end of the coin chute directly overlies this channel-shaped member 28 a slight distance inwardly of the attached end of the latter.

Slidably mounted in the member 28 is the coin shifting plunger that is shown in isolated perspective in Fig. 15. This comprises a block 3|, the outer sides'of which slidably engage the vertical side walls 32 and 33 of the support 28. 55

The forward portion of the plunger block is internally recessed and undercut to form a pair of opposed coin receiving grooves 34, and extending rearwardly from the inner walls of said grooves are a pair of ridges 35, one of which is slightly higher than the other, and the top edges of the ridges slant transversely as most clearly shown in Figs. 12, 13 and 14, so that a coin deposited before the first coin has been discharged will land on top of the ridges and roll out, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 13. The portion of the plunger block 3| between and below the ridges 35 is longitudinally cut away to form a recess 36 to accommodate the tail portion of an upper coin throw-out device and also the depending cam portion of the cam lever, later described. On the rear end of the plunger block 3| is a plunger stem 31 that extends through a hole in the wall of cap 2| and a registering hole in a stem guard 38 that is attached to the outer side of the wall 2| as by the screws 39. It may here be mentioned that the guard 38 is for the purpose of preventing slamming or other violent manipulation of the plunger. Many persons using these machines seem obsessed by an impulse to abuse and wreck the machine if they can, and devices to thwart such efforts are found to be quite essential in connection with the manually manipulated parts of such machines. The guard 38 makes it impossible for a user to actuate the plunger by a blow of his list and compels him to limit himself to the use of his thumb or one finger.

A spring 39 (Fig. 5) anchored at one end to a lug 40 on the member 28 and at its other end to stud 4| on one side of the plunger 3| projecting through a longitudinal slot 42 in the side wall 32 of the member 28 returns the plunger, when released, to its outermost position.

Describing next the upper coin throw-out device, this consists of a lever comprising a body portion 43, a head 44, and a tail 45. The body 43 is pivoted at 46 to a lug 41 on the coin chute, and the latter is formed with an inclined slot 48 (Figs. 12 and 13) through which the head 44 plays. The upper surface of the head 44 is inclined downwardly toward the open edge of the chute so that a coin striking the same rolls out and is ejected if it is inserted when a previously deposited coin is in the position shown in Figs. 9 and 12. When the plunger carrying a previously deposited coin is in the intermediate position shown in Figs. 10 and 13, the upper throw-out member is in an inoperative position, but if a second coin is then deposited it will strike the lower throw-out (ribs 35) and be ejected, as shown in Fig. 13. The upper throw-out member normally hangs in the idle or inoperative position shown by full lines in Figs. 10 and 11 and by dotted lines in Fig. 9, but it is cammed into operative position by a coin engaging the tail as the coin drops into the grooves 34 of the plunger.

The bottom wall of the member 28 is formed with a longitudinal slot 49 having a beveled rear end wall 50 (Fig. 10), and a transverse slot 5| intersecting slot 49. Slot 49 is narrower than the diameter of the coin and supports the latter at two spaced points on its rim, as shown in Figs. 12 and 13; while the length of the transverse slot 5| is greater than the diameter of the coin, so that when the latter has been pushed by the plunger into register with slot 5| on completion of the in stroke of the plunger, the coin drops into an underlying receptacle, as shown in Fig. 14.

A full stroke compelling device is preferably employed in association with the plunger. This is shown in Fig. 7, and comprises a bar 52 attached to the outer side of the side wall 33 of the member 28 and formed with a row 53 of upstanding teeth over which rides the point of a gravity pawl 54 suspended from a stud 55 mounted in one side of the plunger and extending through a longitudinal slot 56 in the side wall 33. This type of full stroke compelling device is old and well known in various arts.

Turning now to a description of the mechanism by which the plunger, acting through the coin deposited therein, rocks the locking and releasing lever (which I have designated L) so as to release for operation the weight mechanism, pivoted at 51 on an upstanding lug 58 of the member 28 is what I term a cam lever designated as an entirety by 59 and shown in isolated detail in Fig. 16. This lever has an intermediate ofiset portion 60, continuous with the remote endof which is a longitudinal portion 6!, depending from which is a cam plate 62 formed with an inclined cam surface 62. The lower portion of the cam plate 62 normally lies in and centrally lengthwise of the plunger supporting and guiding member 28, as shown in Figs. 13 and 14, and in line with the longitudinal recess of the plunger. Pivoted at its elbow at 63 on the free end of the arm 6| of lever 59 is an elbow lever shown in isolated detail in Fig. 16, the upper normally horizontal arm 64 of which is urged downwardly by a light spring 65 (Figs. 5 and 6) anchored at its upper end to a lateral lug 66- on lever 64 and at its lower end to a pin 61 in the cam plate 62. The depending arm 68 of the elbow lever lies crosswise of the lever L, as clearly shown in Figs. 9, 10, and 11, and is formed on its lower end with a heel 69 and a toe 10, which toe normally extends into and through the slot 49.

A spring 1| (Figs. 5 and 6) anchored at its upper end to a lug 12 on the cam lever 59 and at its lower end to a stud 13 on the side wall 32 urges both the cam lever and the elbow lever to the lower position shown by full lines in Figs. 9 and 11, the downward movement being limited by contact of the offset 66 with the top edge of wall 32 as shown in Fig. 6.

i As the plunger, carrying a deposited coin as shown in Fig. 9, is pushed inwardly to the position shown in Fig. 10, the top edge of the coin riding beneaththe cam 62' elevates both the cam lever and the elbow lever, against the pull of spring 1|, to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 10. During this rising movement the heel 69 under the pull of spring 65 wipes across one side of the lever L, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 10, slightly raising the arm 64 of the elbow lever against the pull of spring 65. As the coin drops out of the plunger through the transverse slot 5| (Figs. 11 and 14), the spring 1| draws both levers downwardly, and during this downward movement the heel or shoulder 69 strikes the top edge of lever L depressing the same to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 11, and this releases the scale operating mechanism, and at the same time the plunger is retracted to starting position by its spring 39. During the final part of the downward movement of the two levers, the toe 19 cams over the beveled end 50 of the slot 49 and thus disengages the heel or shoulder 69 from the lever L, permitting the latter to return to locking position.

The up and down swinging movement of the cam lever 59 actuates the counter. Projecting laterally of the lever arm BI is a pin 14 that rides in a longitudinal slot 15 of a crank arm 16 (Figs. 6 and 7) that is fast on the shaft 11 of the counter sothat during each complete rising and falling movement, the counter registers one unit.

Integral with the side wall 33 of the plunger support and guide 28 is a laterally extending bracket plate 18 to which is attached, as by a screw 79 and bolt 80, a counter 8|. Opposite the face of the counter there is a hole in the front wall of the cap 2| (Figs. 2 and 3) through which extends the barrel 82 of a lock, and encircling the inner portion of the lock barrel is a collar 88. On the rear end of the lock barrel 82 is an undercut guide groove 84 (Fig. 1'7) in which is slid-ably mounted a locking bar 85. In the locking bar 85 is a transverse slot 86 engaged by an eccentric pin Bl on the inner end of the rotatable member 88 (Fig. 1'7) of the lock that is turned on the insertion of a proper key. The length of the locking bar 85 is slightly less than the diameter of they barrel 82. In the normal locking position of the bar 85, shown, in Fig. 17, its lower end overlaps the inner end of the collar 83, and the lock 32 cannot be withdrawn. But by inserting the key and turning the member 88 clockwise viewing Fig. 1'7 a half turn, the bar 85 is raised and the lock 82 can be withdrawn, exposing to View the counter tally, as shown in Fig. 2.

The unused coins that are returned by the upper and lower throw-out devices roll into a delivery chute shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 6. This comprises a pan formed with a downwardly and forwardly sloping bottom wall 89, vertical side walls 88, and a vertical rear wall 9| that is secured to the rear side of the bracket plate l3 by the bolt 88 (Fig. 3). The forward end of the bottom wall 89 extends through a slot 92 in the front wall of cap 2| and terminates in a coin holder 93. The open upper end of this return coin chute is located laterally opposite and slightly below the lower end of the open edge of the main coin chute 23. The coins that pass through the machine drop through the discharge slot 5| into the upper end of an underlying chute 94 (Figs. 4 and 5) by which they are delivered to a coin box or drawer (not shown) in the base of the machine.

It may here be noted that the longitudinal slot 49 in the bottom wall of the plunger supporting and guiding member 28 is not necessary to the operativeness of the mechanism, but it is preferably employed for two reasons. In the first place, it provides an outlet directly into the chute 94 for such fraudulent tokens as tooth picks, matches, hair pins and the like, by which dishonest persons attempt to beat the machine and avoids clogging and jamming of the movable parts normally actuated by the coin in the plunger; and, in the second place, it affords a spaced two point bearing for the edge of the coin which stabilizes the latter for its thrust engagement with the cam 62'.

Mthough but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it is to be understood that details of the constructicn shown may be altered without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a coin controlled mechanism for releasing a detent element, the combination of a coin chute, a fixed plunger supporting and guiding member underlying said chute, a plunger slidable in said member and formed with means for laterally engaging a coin dropping from said chute, a pivoted vertically movable member disposed, in its lowered position, alongside said detent element and, in its raised position, swingable to a position I above said detent element, a spring urging said movable member to said position above said detent element, another spring urging said movable member to lowered position to thereby release said detent element, and means actuated by the coin on the in stroke of said plunger and from which said movable member is pivotally suspended for raising said movable member.

2. In a coin controlled mechanism for releasing a detent element, the combination of a coin chute, a fixed plunger supporting and guiding member underlying said chute, a plunger slidable in said member and formed with means for laterally engaging a coin dropping from said chute, a pivoted vertically movable member. disposed crosswise of one side of said detent lever and having a shoulder, a. spring acting to swing said movable member, when raised, to a position in which its shoulder overlies said detent lever, means from which said movable member is pivotally suspended and including a cam engaged and actuated by the coin on the in stroke of said plunger for raising said movable member, and another spring acting through said means to lower said movable member and thereby release said detent when said plunger is retracted.

3. In a coin controlled mechanism for releasing a detent lever, the combination of a coin chute, a fixed plunger supporting and guiding member underlying said chute, a plunger slidable in said member and formed with means for laterally engaging a coin dropping from said chute, a pivoted vertically movable member disposed crosswise of said detent lever and having a shoulder, a spring urging said movable member to lowered position, means engaged and actuated by the coin on the in stroke of said plunger for raising said movable member, and a spring urging said movable member in a direction to cause the shoulder thereon to wipe across said detent lever and snap over the top edge thereof as said movable member is raised.

4. In a coin controlled mechanism for releasing a detent lever, the combination of a coin chute, a fixed plunger supporting and guiding member underlying said chute, a plunger slidable in said member and formed with means for laterally engaging a coin dropping from said chute, a pivoted vertically movable member disposed crosswise of said detent lever and having a shoulder, a. spring urging said movable member to lowered position, means including a cam engaged and actuated by the coin on the in stroke of said plunger for raising said movable member, a spring automatically retracting said shoulder from said formed on said last named lever, and the movable member is pivotally suspended from the free end of said last named lever.

7. An embodiment of claim 4 wherein the means including a cam engaged and actuated by the coin on the in stroke of the plunger consists of a lever pivoted at one end on the plunger supporting and guiding member and the cam is carried by said last named lever, and the movable member constitutes the depending arm of a bell crank lever, the other arm of which lies alongside said cam carrying lever, and the spring urging the movable member in a direction to cause the shoulder thereon to wipe across the detent lever and snap over the top edge thereof is anchored at one end to said other arm of the bell crank lever and at its other end to the cam carrying lever.

8. In a coin controlled mechanism of the class described, the combination of a coin chute, a fixed plunger supporting and guiding member of rectangular cross-section underlying said chute and having in its bottom wall a longitudinal slot of less width than the diameter of the coin and a transverse coin discharge slot intersecting said longitudinal slot, and a plunger slidable in said member, said plunger having a chamber formed with transvere grooves in its side walls registering with the lower end of said chute to receive and laterally support a coin dropping from the latter and coming to rest on the upper corners of the edges of said longitudinal slot when the plunger is in its outer position and registering with said coin discharge slot when the plunger is in its inner position. Y

9. In a coin controlled mechanism of the class described, the combination of a coin chute having an open edge, a fixed plunger supporting and guiding member underlying said chute, a plunger slidable in said member across the lower end of said chute, said plunger 'formed with a transverse recess to receive a coin dropping from said chute and with a top wall portion in rear of said recess inclined downwardly toward said open edge and forming a throw-out for a second coin deposited after the inward movement of said plunger and first named coin.

BURNS S. WATLING. 

